1987 Nissan Pulsar NX XE 1.6L E16i from North America

Summary:

Faults:

Rubber Oil cap was became hard as a rock come winter. Replaced it with a fresh (and softer) oil cap.

Passenger side Targa top panel no longer locks.

Hatch sometimes does not pop properly from inside the car.

Tires seem to be slowly leaking.

General Comments:

For the price I paid, this car is a great deal.

The 1.6L e16i engine only outputs about 70 horses, however she is a tough little engine which takes everything I give her. Revs to red line and back with no hints of trouble, and is able to maintain freeway speeds with little difficulty. Easy to repair, cheap parts (compared to other engines available in the North American Pulsar NX)

The paint is starting to peel on the driver's side between the window of the door and the rear hatch. There is no rust that I have noticed and the car's grey colour still has a sparkle to it after a wash. Nice looking car, even by today's standards.

Handles great (When the tires are properly inflated) and is easy to drive. A great first car indeed. Easy to park and maneuver aound. The car attracts some attention with the roof off and even more when you take off the back hatch.

The front seats are nice, but when the roof is off and the sun visor is back in its original position, you seem to have little head room. The back seat can be troublesome. People want to drive with me, because I have a four seater car, but I don't want to use the back seat because it's so small and more hassle then it's worth.

1987 Nissan Pulsar NX 1.6 from North America

Summary:

Not a bad purchase, but she's getting old

Faults:

Head Gasket

Entire Transmission.

General Comments:

I bought this car because I loved the look of it, and I still do to this day. Unfortunately because of rust, transmission problems, slowness, and high kilometers, I must sell it. Honda will be my next purchase. The T-Tops are a HUGE advantage, and the rarity of this sleek looking sports car once in a while turns heads. I'm sorry did I say sports car? I meant sports coupe, because although it looks fast, it's just the opposite. The acceleration is sluggish (which is sad for such a light car), but the handling is definitely satisfying.

1987 Nissan Pulsar NX SE 1.6 Litre from North America

Summary:

Faults:

Starter motor went out on car at 218,000 costing me a fortune to replace.

The rear shocks were broken at 205,000 kms.

The oil sending unit went out at 207,000 km.

The headlights were stuck on high beam at 215,000 km's.

The brake warning light had been stuck on since 220,000 km's.

The car squeaked and groaned like crazy, from something wrong in the body frame at around 210,000 km's.

The clutch squeaked and clicked when engaging throughout the whole ownership.

The left headlight became dim at 205,000 km's.

Two wheel bearings have gone out on both rear wheels, at 208,000km's and 218,000 km's respectively.

Rattling noise in my rebuilt engine since 215,000 km's.

I could go on with more problems, but I think you understand.

General Comments:

Well, this car has been a complete mistake for me to purchase. I have had nothing with problems with it, and I thought I was going to be purchasing a reliable car because it is a Japanese make. Well, I now understand Nissan can't even begin to try to compare with even Ford. Honda is just millions of times more reliable than Nissan, and I will definitely go with a Civic for my next car.

The car was also extremely slow. I can't remember a single car I raced that I actually won.

The only thing positive I can say about it was:

Decent fuel economy,

Top speed was not bad (around 210 km/h), T-tops were nice in the summer.

11th Jul 2005, 21:58

15th May 2007, 14:27

I have the same headlight problem. I think it is actually the switch itself. if you touch it a little down towards the off position (don't actually turn it off though) the lights will return to normal. I get this problem ever now and then, but consider it a very minor annoyance.